‘The Mao Case’ by Qui Xiaolong

The Mao Case by Qui Xiaolong is the sixth and latest book in the Inspector Chen series, which is set in modern day China. But the author, who writes in English, actually lives in the US.

I’ve not read the previous five novels, but I did not find this a hindrance to what proved to be an enjoyable if somewhat unconventional detective story.

Chief Inspector Chen Cao is not your average run-of-the-mill police officer. He is young, idealistic and takes pride in his work. He loves literature and poetry and does a nice sideline in translation. But his personal life is complicated: his girlfriend, Ling, lives hundreds of miles away in Beijing and their relationship is a tumultuous one. In fact, in the opening chapter of The Mao Case Chen is informed by telephone that Ling has dumped him and married a man more appropriate to her social standing (she’s known as a HCC — a high cadre’s child — because her father is a top-ranking Party official).

But this is merely a sub-plot. The main story involves Chen going undercover to investigate a rather delicate matter involving Chairman Mao. He must take a softly softly approach, not least because “any slander against Mao, the founder of the Chinese Communist Party, will affect the legitimacy of the Party”.

The Party believe that Mao may have given some unspecified material to Shang Yunguan, a 1950s movie star he is said to have had an affair with. The Party want the material back, even though they don’t know what it is and whether it even exists. It’s not something that can be discussed openly, because that would confirm the rumours about Mao’s illicit private life, something which must be avoided at all costs.

“She [Shang] could have taken — or been given — something from him. There were many opportunities.”
“Something from Mao?” Chen was instantly alert, though hardly able to smother the sarcasm is his voice. “What could that possibly be?”
“We don’t know.”

The minister believes the material may have been passed to Shang’s daughter, Qian — who died in an accident at the end of the Cultural Revolution — which was then inherited by her granddaughter Jiao. The Party is suspicious of Jiao, because she quit her job a year ago and moved into a luxurious apartment. Since then she has frequently been seen at parties — attended by Westerners — that are being hosted by a mysterious elderly art teacher and 1930s expert called Mr Xie, “who bears a deep grudge against Mao”.

As part of the investigation, which swings between Shanghai and Beijing, Chen reinvents himself as a businessman and writer researching Shanghai’s 1930s glory days in order to infiltrate Mr Xie’s glamorous parties. Along the way he meets strange businessmen, Triads, beautiful women, Chairman Mao himself and all sorts of writerly types.

The plot is occasionally confusing — and preposterous. But Xiaolong’s descriptions of China — where the cities of Beijing and Shanghai are being seemingly transformed overnight and where the gap between rich and poor is ever widening — more than makes up for these minor flaws. As do the descriptions of food, particularly Chen’s visit to the Fangshan Restaurant, which specialises in imperial cuisine. Here, he dines on genuine Beijing duck and experiences…

Mind you, the constant references to Chinese poetry, literature and sayings, which give the narrative a peculiar charm, begin to feel tiresome and heavy-handed by the half-way point. We know the book is set in China; we don’t need to be constantly reminded of it in such an obivous way.

That said, the narrative is well paced and builds plenty of momentum, culminating in a suitably heart-hammering and dramatic, if somewhat ambiguous, ending. It’s safe to say this was my first Inspector Chen novel and it’s unlikely to be my last.

The other novels in the series are: Death of a Red Heroine (2000), A Loyal Character Dancer (2002), When Red Is Black (2004), A Case of Two Cities (2006) and Red Mandarin Dress (2007). The seventh novel, Don’t Cry Tai Lake, is due for publication in September 2012.

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6 thoughts on “‘The Mao Case’ by Qui Xiaolong”

At risk of comment being eaten, I have read the first of this series and though I quite liked it, was not tempted to read more. I am a bit daunted to see it has reached #6! Death of a Red Heroine was great on atmosphere and location, pretty good on character, not very good on plot.

Ahh, that’s interesting. I have a copy of Death of a Red Heroine in my TBR, where it’s languished for at least three years, but have never read it. I only read The Mao Case because I picked it up at the library and took it away with me on holiday without realising it was part of a series. I enjoyed it enough to want to read more, but then I may well be more forgiving of its flaws because I’m a bit obsessed by China at the moment…

I’ve just read Red Heroine and very much agree with Maxine’s review – much better as commentary on 1990s Shanghai than a police procedural. I enjoyed the descriptions of ‘exotic’ locales and cuisine but was most struck by the social differences that often come out of nowhere for a UK reader, including the lack of personal space, workers sleeping in communal dormitories, and of course, the privileges that come from prominence in the Party.
The many references to classical poetry are challenging but Chen’s artistic ambition is rather different than a European writer giving their police protagonist a likening for literature or opera – Chen was assigned to the police force as arbitrarily as he was when he was sent to the countryside by Cultural Revolution edict.
A four star read, but I am not sure I will get to number six in the series, not least because the reviews all seem to agree that the sequels do not quite match Red Heroine. Interestingly, one reviewer notes that the books lose something as Qiu becomes more fluent in English.

I tried one of the earlier novels in the series and gave up. Something wasn’t working, I loved the descriptions of place and atmosphere but the plots and the characters didnt gel so well with me and so I stopped reading it. Oops.